A Murder in the Shadows
by UndercoverHufflepuff
Summary: Voldemort's first murder and the beginning to his devastating reign. Oneshot, and a bit of a companion piece to my marauder Era story, Stolen Promises, but no prior knowledge of the characters is needed to enjoy. :


**An artistic companion piece to Chapter 20 of Stolen Promises.**

"_Three days ago Leighton Everett had disappeared from a party in the London suburbs and aurors__have been searching for her since. As of three-fifteen Monday morning the search was concluded when her body was found buried eight feet underground in a forest near the border of Ireland. The case has been confirmed as a wizarding murder but no one has been brought into custody as of yet and the exact cause of death is not known but it has been narrowed down to either poison or suffocation._

_The last known person she spoke to was Percival Pettigrew, the second in command to minister. One of Leigh's close personal friends made it clear that Pettigrew could not be at fault because 'they were only having a friendly conversation'. Pettigrew was one of the first to be taken in to custody and was released hours later. But since, at least fifteen others have been named and taken in for questioning._

_Leigh Everett was everything but another ministry worker she was one of the major powers in the muggle department and was known for her kindness. She spent much of her short life donating time and treasure to numerous charities and there has already been talk of raising one in her name. Aside from charity work and her position in the ministry, she was also active in the MPS (Muggle Protection Society) where she withheld a prestigious position as their writer. She was responsible for writing over twenty different speeches for the organization in the three years she has belonged. You are about to be left with a quote from her last, written speech. "We are here, on this earth, not to judge greatness but to serve a greater purpose."_

-Stolen Promises: Chapter 20. Article read by Remus J. Lupin

**This is the story of Leighton Everett's murder, the prophecy, and who killed her.**

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_On this night a daughter will fall and through her selfless sacrifice will come inevitable disaster greater than any before it, but necessary._

Night had consumed the land, casting shadows over the path of which a young woman's feet traversed. The steady click of heels against the pavement echoed rhythmically with the wind. Draped over her delicate shoulders was a simple purple dress that fell just below her knees, a reminder she still carried of the party she had excused herself from. She had come outside in search of fresh air and perhaps an escape from the gossip of society and now she stepped in silence along a trail, her only company, the brisk November wind.

She was one of those people who appreciated being alone and admiring the world without the taint of another voice. Her pale blue eyes looked up to the sky, looking at the stars, objects she had prayed to every night as a little girl. They meant something to her, they were constant unlike everything else in her life. And though behind the clouds, she knew the stars were there for her even when no one else could be.

She continued to walk farther along the trail that led the way through a tamed forest. If the others weren't talking about each other, then they were talking about the danger that was lurking among the shadows, the threats, and all the evil in the world. To them, it seemed as though good could not fully exist, and if it did, it was rare. The woman, however, knew that to be false, good was everywhere, it was evil that could not fully exist. She knew she was supposed to feel danger when she was alone at night but she only found peace. Perhaps it was because she purely didn't care or maybe it was due to her faith. In her mind all other faiths seemed blind and empty, full of rules and regulations. But she had developed a different kind of faith. Hers was not centered on a deity but on trust. Trust that there was more to life, trust that things got better, and trust that there existed at least one person in this world who could understand.

A breeze drifted through the trees, moving the branches in unpredictable patterns and forcing her to pull her thin sweater more tightly around her shoulders. Her pace slowed, readjusting the soothing rhythm of her feet against the pavement as the wind continued to pick up. An odd feeling swept through her and emptiness hung in the air, clinging onto the leaves. A low hiss rippled on the edge of the wind, she thought little of it; passing it through her judgment as a figment of imagination. But as a sharp gust of wind rattled her, any existing warmth vanished from within and silent prayer was given up through her eyes as an invisible hymn fell from her lips, crashing onto the pavement below.

The hiss within the wind became more profound in her mind, transforming into recognizable sounds and then into a slow chant that would wrap around her thoughts like honey and douse her conscience until it became ignorant of anything else. "You've been betrayed." It repeated again and again, the words becoming like smoke; addicting and immortal. You've been betrayed. You've been betrayed. You've been betrayed.- It continued until her knees began to tremble and her heart, race time.

She tried to shake away the voice and continue walking but it would not relent. You've been betrayed. Suddenly, the comforting click of her heels, the only thing anchoring her sanity, vanished. The pavement below her became soft, her heels sunk in. Driving into the soil like a nail through soft wood. You've been betrayed... Her eyes glanced around in confusion, everything was dark.

"Where am I?" She breathed; asking the surrounding darkness a question of existence.

"A crossroad." A voice hissed, wafting through the air. A cloud above was pushed away and small pricks of light spilled through the canopy from the crescent moon. Ancient trees brushed against the sky and the forest floor was built of rotting leaves and waxy, violet briars. A shadow in the distance caught her eyes, rustling in the brush across from her.

"Why-"

"Because, child." It replied, carefully pronouncing every syllable. "You're sought after." A pair of black, soulless eyes glinted against the darkness. "A necessity to a cause, if you will."

"I have no belief in your cause." She whispered.

"Perhaps, but no one can deny the prophecy."

"Prophecy?" She murmured with bemusement reflecting off her eyes.

"So many questions." It taunted. "But tonight a prophecy will be fulfilled, haven't you heard?"

"No- I've not." She breathed, searching for strength but feeling as though her heart was beginning to fail. She lifted her eyes to meet its own and she continued. "But I won't stand in the way of fate." Silence was suspended in the air and the only noise was the gentle murmur of the blackened forest and the fragility of her own breath against the cold.

"I suppose," It began, a delicate pause as it cautiously strung words together. "That an alternate choice can be offered and, by certain chance, your life spared..."

"Life cannot be gambled."

"But it can be saved by a simple act." It countered the voice thick and taunting as it hung in the air. "Bow to me."

"Never." She glared, lifting her chin in confidence, shuddering as she felt the sensation of callous finger brushing slowly across her jaw.

"If you offer yourself to me...I can change your life." It hissed alluringly. "I can bring you above society. I can make you great and I can give you the assurance that faith will never offer."

"I-I-" She struggled, mortality ruling over morality in the moment as she faced the test.

"All you have to do, child, is bow." She closed her eyes as the voice slithered through her ears, fighting against her better judgment. Weakly she shook her head, understanding the immorality of it all as she fought to open her eyes.

"Bow!" It shrieked, filling the darkness with an echo. She shrunk back against an onslaught of wind that caused her dress to billow wildly around her like the flowing robes of royalty.

"I won't!" She screamed.

"Very well." It stepped forward, announced by the sound of snapping twigs. Cold breath tickled her neck as she whipped around to face her captor. Aside from cold, black eyes all that stood was a tall, hooded man, dressed in billowing black robes that hid the certainty of his being. Fear was stagnant, delicate and breaking.

"It's not too late." She whispered, harsh reality crashing into her. "You don't have to do it."

"Sorry, child, but you've already swallowed the poison." It sneered, moving closer.

"I-what..." She stammered, tears spring into her eyes. You've been betrayed.

"This." He reached into a pocket and removed a small, clear vial, twirling it precariously in his skeleton like fingers. "This is the antidote." The glass chimed daintily against his long, yellowing nails. The woman took a shaky step forward, picking up her foot and driving the heels into the soil to hold her balance. She extended her trembling arm, blue eyes pleading with the callous black ones.

"The real choice is yours." She said quietly, her eyes steady.

"I can't hand it to you without a fight." He sneered, twirling the vial within his fingertips.

"I won't fight. I have no weapon." The shadowed man laughed, but it was a laugh unlike his voice. It was sharp, a cry that fell to the ground like rough nails and burning fire.

The handle of a weapon materialized in her palm, her fingers wrapping naturally around the smooth metal.

"If you value life, you'll fight for it."

"This isn't my decision." She replied and silence filled the forest as the weapon slipped from her fingers and clattered to the ground.

"Fight back!" It glared. The woman stood erect. Her heart racing as words formed on her cracked lips; but he already knew here answer. "Fight!" She collapsed onto her knees, her hand landing near the dagger and her breath coming in shallower gasps as briars clawed her face. "Scared, child?" He sneered. "Get up and fight." She shook her head, eyes pressed tightly as they absorbed the pain. "Fight!" He screamed again. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she struggled to her feet, fingers wrapping, again, around the dagger. "Time is running out, child." He hissed, his voice lingering on the final syllables, a smirk on thin lips, revealing a haunting, rotting smile. The poison was evident now, she could feel it draining her strength; pulling her away. But she would not give up, not yet. "I offer you-" He began, running a long, sickly finger hungrily along her porcelain neck. "One last chance to repent."

Her head was pounding and blood was oozing from the scratches that decorated her face. You've been betrayed. Darkness was lurking along the edge of her thoughts, creeping closer with every feeble breath she took.

"The same offer stands for you." She breathed, taking another trembling step forward. Her eyes lingered on the scratched surface of the dagger and then to the black of her predator. Using what remained of her strength she gripped tightly to its handle, raised her arm and threw it as far into the dark abyss as she could manage.

The shadowed man watched it fall into the indistinguishable brush and turned to the woman with burning eyes.

"I've offered you every chance. Now you've thrown the last away." He glared.

"If this is my fate then there is nothing more that I can do."

"Foolish mudblood. You have no appreciation for life."

"I fear that I have more than you." She whispered, lifting her eyes. He glared down on her, raising an arm and suddenly all the air in the world rushed against her. It swept her frail body from her feet, slamming her into a tree like a porcelain doll thrown into a wall. Briars and twigs pierced her flesh and she was paralyzed against the trunk of the tree. Her face contorted in agony as every part of her burned like fire. She could hear the mirthless laughter of the shadow that loomed above her. You've been betrayed. She may have been broken, but it wasn't over, her heart was still beating.

"I can't save you now, child." It smirked, moving towards her, tauntingly holding the vial of antidote. He pulled the cork from it and tossed it carelessly aside. He then, turned the vial and let the liquid slowly spill from it and fall onto the ground before her, splashing the dirt against her face. He stepped back, listening for protest as he let the empty vial fall and land upon the floor with a tenuous chime. There was silence as they waited. Her blue eyes lifted to the starless sky, her hope nonexistent. You've been betrayed. Those words meant everything to her and they were the words she would carry to her grave, a question she would never live to hear the answer. A cloud drifted across the sky, swallowing the shimmering light of the crescent moon and blanketing the land in complete darkness. She was aware that the shadow still stood, somewhere, at a distance and now she was breathing shallowly as her heart began to lose its strength against the poison. Soon, rain began to drizzle from sky, falling onto her torn flesh and soothing the wounds. The shadow moved again, closer to her, she could feel the rush of air. Her life was ending, there was no denying it.

"Any last words, child." It smirked.

"Yes." She said weakly, her voice barely a whisper as Death crept closer, His icy hands ready to lunge as her final breaths drew near. Rain began to pour from the sky and the shadow shrunk back; his confident facade beginning to wash away. "I forgive you." She whispered. The shadow froze, rain pelting its pallid face as her blue eyes lingered on the black. She blinked once as thunder shook the ground and when she looked back, the shadow had fled.

Nine. She was counting her last breaths, numbering them as they came. Eight. She was gasping now in agony and desperation as her entire body began to fail. Seven. She was pleading to be saved. Mentally crying out to God, furiously questioning his existence, begging to understand why she's been abandoned. Six. Death was close, so close. His icy hand was pressed against her throat, counting with her, telling her she wouldn't die alone. No one ever dies alone. Five. Vines began to wrap around her limbs, chaining her to the forest floor, ensuring that she can't escape, promising to never let her go. Four. Death is too close. Her heart is fluttering, faltering, failing. It doesn't matter how loud she screams, it's over. She can't be saved. Three. It's almost over. The pain is almost gone. She prays quickly for the people she loves, praying that their lives will continue. Two. Death is too far away, she can still feel the pain of mortality and now she begs for forgiveness, offering her final prayer for her enemy and betrayer. One. Her last breath passes her lips as her heart comes to a stop and Death's hands wrap around her. The prophecy is fulfilled. Her thoughts are gone. Her once glittering eyes have been emptied and the forest is still.

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Lord Voldemort had one his first battle.

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**Afterward: This is important because it was Voldemort's first murder under his new name, and the induction to a new, terrifying era. If this murder fell through, Lord Voldemort would not be who he was today. And for further reference (This is revealing nothing crucial) Mrs. Grae brewed the poison, Percival Pettigrew slipped in into her glass, and Voldemort finished her off. And, yes, somewhere along the way Bellatrix and Rabastan served as lookouts.**

**I hope you liked this =] Because I have a few more as they marauders grow up. And reviews would be greatly appreciated XD**


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